Promises
by Mika Casey
Summary: ShikaTema. Warning, very sad & fluffy story.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Naruto characters.  
**Author's Note**: This is my first story with Shikamaru and Temari as main characters, so I'm sorry I'm they're so out of character. D:

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Temari stood before a white wooden door in a hallway of a bad apartment complex. This place was known for a lot of shady behavior and criminals. The walls were white, and the paint was chipped everywhere. The disgusting off-white carpet reeked of booze and illegal substances. The wind-nin had to curl her toes back into her sandals to avoid them touching the ground.

The door she was staring at had two brass shapes on it. The swirly-shaped numbers "0" and "6" were super-glued to the door in a crooked fashion. To the right of the six, she could see a faint outline of a "2", but the number itself was nowhere to be seen.

Slowly, Temari extended her right hand towards the door in the shape of a fist. She hesitated about a centimeter away from the door. Inhaling deeply to calm herself, the blonde girl knocked three times on the white wood. She waited, stiff as a board because she was in such an unfamiliar place, as the sound of a shattering bottle was emitted from the space beneath the door.

A few moments of silence passed, followed by the creaking of springs from someone getting off an old couch. Temari smoothed down the front of her black kimono and blinked, almost nervously.

The door swung inward. The room was dark, the only light shining through a window that framed the full moon. A silvery light was cast into the room, making the boy before her appear ghostlike. His dark brunette hair was tied back into a high ponytail, but that was the only orderly thing about his appearance. His black pants were wrinkled, his dark green shirt had a stain on the collar. He was barefoot, and he was wearing a stupid smile on his sleepy face.

"Mornin', Tema-chan." He mumbled, a bit of spit shining on his lower lip.

Temari knew when he spoke that he wasn't just tired. First of all, it was the middle of the night. With an IQ of more than 200, she was sure he would realize this. Secondly, only her brothers called her Tema-chan. He had been smacked upside his head enough times to remember that.

The boy tried to step forward, but his bare toes caught on the edge of the carpet. This motion sent him towards the ground, face first. Temari caught him before he fell, cursing under her breath. He reeked of alcohol.

He smiled up at her like an excited child. "Whee!" He giggled, then hiccuped. His brown eyes were glossed over and looking up into her own very dark blue ones.

Temari shuffled, with his weight on her soulder, into his apartment. She had come to pick him up for a mission, but he wasn't in the proper state to go anywhere. The female ninja gritted her teeth. She would have to tell the others to go on without them.

In the far corner of the room, there was a small kitchen area. A couch sat on the same wall the door was on, and near the kitchen there was a closed door that most likely lead to the bathroom. The brown couch had a pillow, a blanket, and three empty beer bottles on it. There were two bottles on the floor: one empty and the other shattered against the wood. A box with a sixth full bottle sat on the arm of the couch. Other than the couch, the rest of the room was spotless. From this, Temari assumed that his apartment was normally clean.

Moving the bottles from the couch to the floor with her free hand, Temari heaved the boy onto his couch. She made sure he was on his side, so if he vomited he wouldn't choke. His eyes fluttered closed as soon as his face hit the pillow, and he muttered to himself as he drifted to sleep.

She watched him, sighing to herself. "Oh, Shika-kun..."

Temari took the giant fan off her back and leaned it against a wall. Reaching into the pocket on her kimono, she drew out a piece of paper and a pen. She used the kitchen counter to write a note.

_Kankuro, Gaara, Chouji, and Ino;  
Shikamaru is sick. Go on without us.  
- Temari._

The wind-nin folded the note into a paper crane. Softly pressing her fingers into the paper, she transferred some chakra into it. She carried it to the window. Pushing on the glass to open it, she whispered quietly to the crane. The paper creature in her palm took off and fluttered into the cold night.

Temari stared into the darkness with a twisted expression on her face as she tried to keep her cool. She leaned her elbows on the window. On the inside, she was enraged. Her anger was simmering at the brink and threatening to spill over. What was Shikamaru thinking, doing something like this? He was the most irresponsible person she had ever met! She huffed, her breath coming billowing in front of her face.

She turned back to the apartment and towards the couch. She swept up the glass, silently listening to Shikamaru's steady breathing. Everyone in a while he would mutter something. She heard him say "troublesome female" and "death", so she figured he was having a nightmare.

As she was picking up the bottles, something shiny in between the pillow and the couch caught her eye. She stretched her hand forward, pulling the item out slowly so not to wake her sleeping friend. When she withdrew her hand, she gasped at what she was clinging to.

Under his pillow had been a gun and a folded piece of paper. Temari quickly rendered the gun useless by dismembering it, pulling out the bullets. It was fully loaded. She stared at the weapon in her hand, racking her brains as to why the lazy ninja would have it under his pillow.

Perhaps the paper had the answer. Temari took the gun to the kitchen, setting it in the sink. There was no way she was putting it near Shikamaru. The carefully unfolded the note, finding words folded to the inside. She read it, eyes widening as she realized what it was.

_To whoever finds my body,  
When you read this, I will be long gone. I have been too troublesome for everybody in my life, and I feel that their worlds will be better with me gone. If you have a heart, please relay these messages to the assorted people:  
Chouji - You were my best friend, and I thank you for being such a loyal companion. I fought side by side in battle with you, and I can tell you that I trusted you with my life. I hope you find happiness.  
Ino - You were like the sister I never had, and I always had a good time when I hung out with you. Keep being strong and fighting fiercely for what you believe in.  
Temari - I loved you. I never had the heart to tell you, and I figured telling you after I had left this world would be a better time to tell you then breaking your heart by telling you and then killing myself. You were always there for me, and I wish you nothing but bliss for as long as you live. Stay beautiful.  
Sincerely,  
Nara Shikamaru_

Tears formed in Temari's dark blue eyes. They streaked down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop them. She hated crying, but she hated the idea of Shikamaru dying even more. She looked over at him fearfully, but realized that he was still breathing. He must have gotten himself drunk to be stupid enough to pull the trigger. Putting the letter down, she crossed the room and hovered above the couch. She mentally lost it, her emotional defenses breaking down as she looked at him.

She fell to her knees before the piece of furniture, looking at his sleeping face. She brushed a stray lock of dark brown hair away from his forehead, tears still flowing down her face. Speaking to his sleeping form, she whispered. "I love you too, Shika-kun."

In a moment of weakness, the blonde girl crawled on to the couch and curled up in front of the long-limbed shadow-nin. She rested her forehead against his. The smell of alcohol was breathed with his breath onto her face, but she didn't mind. As long as he was breathing. She lay there with the sleeping boy for a while, and she didn't pay any attention to the passage of time. She just watched him sleep, content with being his guardian for a while.

His eyes opened slowly. As they focused on her face, he smiled a little. His voice was a bit groggy. "This is what I was hopin' to find." He said to her.

Temari realized that he thought he was dead. She brought a hand up to his cheek. "Shikamaru, you're alive. You didn't pull the trigger. And please, promise me that you never will." Fresh tears began to fall as she pulled herself closer to him. "I promise that you're important. People need you. I need you. Please stay with me, please. Shika-kun..." Her normally sarcastic voice was dripping with desperation. "I'll stay with you forever. Just please, stay with me." She shook, almost violently. "I love you too."

Shikamaru finally woke up completely. His brown eyes glittered in shame. "I-I'm sorry, Temari. I just thought everyone would be happier with me gone. I disappoint so many people..."

Temari's anger flashed in her eyes. "Of course you're important, stupid!" She bit her lip, regretting her sudden outburst what had to be a delicate time for him.

But Shikamaru smiled, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her in so her face was an inch away from his neck. "Thank you, Tema-chan."

Temari didn't even bother to correct him. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at him. "Promise that you'll never do that to me again." She told him seriously.

He looked up at her with love and sincerity in his eyes. "I promise. As long as I have a place in your heart, I will gladly walk in this world."

Temari leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips before snuggling closer to him, letting him fall asleep with her in his arms.


End file.
